Comptroller Kevin Lembo, joined by a broad coalition of open government
advocates, praised the state House of Representatives for voting unanimously in
favor of Lembo’s proposal to better analyze Connecticut’s economic development
investments so they bring the greatest return.

“The state provides hundreds of millions of dollars in economic incentive
programs to Connecticut businesses every year with the hope that it will grow
the economy and create jobs,” Lembo said. “The state owes it to businesses and
all taxpayers to fully analyze which programs are working and which ones are
not. Scarce state resources should be focused on only the most effective
economic development and job-growth programs.

“Connecticut can only realize its great economic potential if it adopts best
practices - beginning with how it analyzes the success and failures of our
economic development programs,” Lembo said.

Lembo thanked all legislators in the House, particularly leadership, for
unanimous bipartisan support, as well as the state Auditors of Public Accounts -
John Geragosian and Robert Kane - and Department of Economic and Community
Development Commissioner Catherine Smith, for working to reach mutual agreement
on the bill’s language.

House Bill 7316, An Act Concerning Evaluation of Business Assistance and
Incentive Programs, would improve how Connecticut analyzes the success and
failures of its economic development investments in several ways. It will
streamline the reporting requirements, while expanding the scope of reporting to
include all business assistance and incentive programs. It will subject business
assistance and incentive programs to performance reviews by the Auditors of
Public Accounts and require the Auditors to review the analysis and reporting
performed by DECD on such programs – providing necessary independent oversight.

The legislation would also require specific legislative committees to hold
public hearings to discuss the results of the evaluations and receive input from
stakeholders.

The streamlined report will focus on the most pertinent information, Lembo
said, including the economic impact of each program, the extent to which it is
meeting statutory and programmatic goals, and the efficiency with which the
program is being administered.

A broad coalition of open government advocates and organizations submitted
testimony in support of Lembo’s proposal.

On behalf of The Pew Charitable Trusts, Robert Zahradnik, Director of Policy,
State Fiscal Health, said, “In Connecticut, as in many other states, business
incentives are both a primary economic development tool and a major budget
commitment. For that reason, The Pew Charitable Trusts’ research shows that
studying the results of incentives is a vital step for states to create jobs,
raise wages, help businesses to grow, and to maintain a balanced budget. Pew
supports H.B. No. 7316 because this legislation would ensure that lawmakers have
the information they need to determine which incentives are working, which are
not, and how to make improvements.”

Derek Thomas, Fiscal Policy Fellow at Connecticut Voices for Children, said,
“Unlike general fund spending on education, roads, and other spending on the
building blocks to a healthy economy, business tax breaks lack transparency.
Once on the books, they can remain for years, or even decades, without scrutiny.
A more efficient, transparent, and fair budget process would include regular
reviews of all economic development incentives to ensure that tax expenditures
are yielding the promised economic development benefits. Just like spending,
business tax breaks should undergo regular scrutiny to determine their
effectiveness.”

Joe Horvath, Assistant Policy Director at Yankee Institute for Public Policy,
said, "Connecticut is in need of sound economic policy that creates a climate of
job growth. Good data is necessary to separate policies that work from policies
that don’t. In order to set our priorities as a state, we need evidence that
will allow us to measure our successes and mitigate any failures. This bill
advances the cause of evidence-based policymaking."

Daniel J. Klau, President of the Connecticut Council of Freedom on
Information (CCFOI), said, “CCFOI is very pleased to support this legislation,
which enhances public confidence in the effectiveness of economic development
investments by making them more transparent.”

Lori Pelletier, President of the CT AFL-CIO, the voice of more than 220,000
workers, said, “The Connecticut AFL-CIO has long advocated bringing greater
transparency and accountability to spending on business tax breaks. State
government spends hundreds of millions of dollars per year on business tax
breaks that are not subject to any scrutiny or review. We deserve to know if
these expenditures are creating decent jobs and generating broad-based economic
growth, especially at a time when cuts to public sector jobs and services are
proving to be a drag on economic growth.

“We appreciate and support Comptroller Lembo’s effort to shine much-needed
light on Connecticut’s economic development policies. Our union members will be
urging their legislators to do the same.”

Tom Swan, Executive Director of Connecticut Citizen Action Group, said, “We
applaud the House for advancing legislation that will result in greater
accountability in our economic assistance programs. During these tough fiscal
times, we must account for every dollar and this is an area that the state has
not been acting as responsibly as we need it to be.”